Philippines-US Joint Military Exercises StartTroops of the Philippines and the United States started their annual joint war game dubbed " Balikatan" in the Philippines Friday, Philippine News Agency (PNA) said.About 1,400 Americans and 2,600 Filipinos are participating in the exercises this year, which will end on May 10, the PNA said. The two armies resumed the Balikatan war game in 2000 after the Philippine Senate approved the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries in May 1999. The Balikatan exercises lasted for a month last year, involving a total number of 5,000 troops from the two sides. This year, the two sides will reportedly do cross training and field activities at several places in the country, including the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga province. U.S. military aircraft, including F-18 Hornet fighter bombers, will use the Crow Valley range in the Clark Air Base area for gunnery practice, together with Philippine Air Force (PAF) aircraft. In a directive to the PAF, Vice President Teofisto Guingona reminded that any accident should be avoided, referring to similar exercises last year in which an accidental blast resulted in the death of two civilians in Toledo City, Cebu province. "We do not want another Toledo," said Guingona, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement. Guingona said the presidential commission will closely monitor the conduct of the war game to ensure that "they meet our bilateral defense and national security commitments." |
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